Posted on 09/04/2002 10:09:46 AM PDT by Deadeye Division
Anti-gun forces tell senators not to duck concealed-weapons issue
Wednesday, September 4, 2002
Lee Leonard
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Bright-yellow rubber ducks, sometimes used as targets in shooting galleries, became gifts for state senators yesterday as anti-gun forces rallied at the Statehouse against post-election passage of a concealed-weapons law.
About two dozen members of the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence distributed a toy duck and a single pink rose to each senator's office after briefing the media in the Atrium.
"It sometimes feels like they're not listening to us down here,'' said Toby Hoover of Toledo, executive director of the coalition, which also included members of Ohio's Million Moms organization, another group opposed to concealed weapons. "We're trying to get their attention.''
Hoover and several other speakers predicted that the Ohio Senate, prodded by the National Rifle Association, will wait until after the election and then approve House-passed legislation authorizing Ohioans to carry concealed handguns with a minimum of qualification, training and oversight.
"The strategy of the gun lobby across the country has been to pass these laws during lame-duck sessions,'' said Sen. Eric D. Fingerhut, D-Cleveland, one of the legislature's most outspoken gun foes.
John Hohenwarter, who lobbies Midwestern legislatures for the National Rifle Association, of Fairfax, Va., denied Fingerhut's allegation.
"The NRA doesn't operate and do business by lame-duck sessions. We've been pushing this bill for years now.''
Hohenwarter pointed out that the NRA got the Ohio legislature to pass a controversial bill giving civil immunity to gun manufacturers in June, long before the elections.
The term lame duck refers to an elected official who cannot or will not stand for election again, and thus is not accountable to the voters. In this case, a voting session of the legislature after lawmakers have stood for election Nov. 5 is called a lame-duck session.
Joining the coalition in the Atrium was an individual in a duck costume carrying a sign that read: "Don't be a lame duck, Ohioans don't want hidden guns.''
House Bill 274, requiring county sheriffs to issue "conceal/carry'' permits to anyone 21 or older who has no record of mental hospitalization or felony conviction, has cleared the House and is in the Senate Committee on Civil Justice.
Gun owners receiving the permits would have to undergo minimal training or produce evidence they are military veterans or have hunted for at least three years.
Ohio Senate President Richard H. Finan, R-Cincinnati, has said the committee won't advance the bill until the Ohio Supreme Court rules on the state's appeal of a Hamilton County court decision that found Ohio's ban on concealed weapons unconstitutional.
The high court stayed that April appellate-court ruling; until then, concealed weapons were legal in Hamilton County for three weeks.
Another roadblock to the bill has been Gov. Bob Taft, who said he would veto any gun bill unacceptable to the law-enforcement community.
The State Highway Patrol and the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police oppose the bill.
The Fraternal Order of Police supports the concept of conceal/carry but opposes House Bill 274, while the Buckeye State Sheriffs' Association supports the bill.
Fingerhut challenged the governor to veto the bill under all circumstances, saying his pronouncements on the matter have been "so Clintonesque, it's unbelievable.''
Joe Andrews, a spokesman for Taft, said the governor will oppose any bill that does not have "the support of a majority of law-enforcement organizations.''
Lee Leonard
By JIM PROVANCE
TOLEDO BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU
COLUMBUS - Opponents of a bill allowing qualified Ohioans to carry hidden handguns said yesterday they fear lawmakers will rush the controversial measure through soon after the last polling place closes in November.
"This is much too important to the people and families of this state to be voted on in a lame-duck session," said Toby Hoover, executive director of the Toledo-based Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence.
About 30 Ohio representatives of the Million Mom March, which marched on Washington in 2000 to support stricter gun laws, attempted to deliver yellow rubber ducks to state senators in a largely empty Statehouse yesterday.
In the wings, a handful of gun-rights supporters carried signs, one of which read, "9-11 would not have happened if just one passenger or pilot had his Second Amendment rights."
The House voted 66-27 across party lines in March to allow Ohioans who are at least 21; pass criminal, mental health, and domestic violence backgrounds checks, and complete four hours of firearm training to receive permits to carry guns on themselves or in their cars.
The Senate approved a form of concealed-carry seven years ago. Gov. Bob Taft has said he would veto the bill if it doesn’t have the support of law enforcement.
"The governor’s position remains the same," said Taft spokesman Joe Andrews. "He will not support a bill that is not supported by a majority of law enforcement."
The measure is officially opposed by the State Highway Patrol and Fraternal Order of Police. The Buckeye State Sheriffs Association supports it.
"I believe there should be a vote," said Donald Rogers, a gun-rights supporter from Trumbull County. "It’s an important piece of legislation. The Second Amendment of the United States of America says we have a right to bear arms. It’s a God-given right. It’s not a privilege of the state."
The Ohio Supreme Court will soon hear an appeal of a Hamilton County case in which the state’s current ban was ruled unconstitutional.
This statement should send shivers down the spine's ofe everyone.
Couple of funnies in this one. First of all, Eric Fingerhut is, or was, on the Board of Directors for HCI. Nice fair and balanced pick when you want a quote about guns, huh? Also, he's a liberal Democrat, criticizing somebody for being "Clintonesque"... ROFLMFAO
Awwwwwwwww pooor Toby. You're right, they aren't listening to you.
The majority of Ohioans feel differently about this subject than you and the bored soccer moms in your "One or Two Dozen Moms". Democracy can be a bitch, can't it?
I hope that when this bill passes it will scare you idiots so bad you won't even come out of your houses.
They think we're going to be shooting at little yellow baby ducks? I fail to see the point they're trying to make.
This is what passes for intelligent debate amongst lefties and soccar moms.
OK, then how about open carry? I'm sure a lot of us would settle for that too.
Can you say "Separation Of Powers?"
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